


(Now I'm Gonna Be) Up All Night

by abigailamidala



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Awesome Darcy Lewis, Bucky is an art major, F/M, Melinda May owns a kick ass coffee shop, Night owls, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Professor Phil Coulson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-18
Updated: 2018-03-20
Packaged: 2018-08-23 03:50:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8312944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abigailamidala/pseuds/abigailamidala
Summary: Steve and Darcy meet in a 7 am class. Darcy cracks open a Monster energy drink and pours it into her coffee, looking at Steve and saying "I'm going to die."Based off a tumblr post. College AU.





	1. Meet-cute

Steve sat down in the middle of the lecture theater, the cushioned seats both a blessing and a curse. A blessing since it meant that for the next three hours he would be completely comfortable and could fall asleep at any point in time. The curse being that he would fall asleep at any point in time. Steve checked his watch. The old, cracked face read at 6:57am. Class would start any minute.

Other students started to trickle into the lecture hall within the next few minutes. They all picked spots equally spaced out and away from everyone else, and Steve could tell they were all trying to stay inconspicuous. All of them looked exactly how Steve felt: bone tired. This was one of the first lectures of the year for the class, “Poli Sci 305: American Politics during World War II.” It was taught by a Professor P. Coulson, whom Steve had become acquainted with over the course of his college education. Professor Coulson specialized in everything World War II, of which Steve was fascinated with.

Steve had taken a few years off after high school, enlisting in the military and serving overseas. They almost didn’t accept him on account of his asthma, but accepted him when Bucky decided to enlist with him. Steve’s father must have pulled some strings somewhere. After the PTSD wore off enough, he applied to Culver University, opting on getting his political science degree rather than fighting for freedom. Bucky had followed him to Culver, and had been accepted into an arts program.

The program seemed to do Bucky well. When Bucky had nightmares, he would paint. The scenes he painted were a lot of fire and blood, reminiscent of their time in Afghanistan. The paintings were painfully beautiful, and Bucky had sold a few of them last winter in order to get their furnace fixed.

“Hey, mind if I sit here?” a frantic voice broke Steve out of his daze. He hadn’t realized he had been falling asleep until his peer plunked down in the seat beside him, a few notebooks spilling out of her messenger bag and bouncing off his knee.

“Shit! Sorry, so sorry.” Steve’s eyes opened just in time to see the other student duck down to grab the notebooks at his feet. One of them was adorned in cupcake stickers. “Sorry, I got it. There.” She whispered, tucking everything back into her bag and shoving it all under her seat, save for a silver coffee mug and a giant can of Monster.

The other student was a brunette female, with full red lips and winged eyeliner. Her hair had been twisted messily into a bun near the top of her head, random curls spilling out around her face, framing it.

“Not an early riser?” Steve smiled, shifting in his seat so she could fold out her arm rest/desk.

“Not so much. I’ve managed to spend the last two years of my educational career with loads of afternoon and night classes. So waking up this early is almost inhuman.”

“I hear you.”

The girl had cracked open her Monster, letting the metallic sound resonate through the lecture hall. Professor Coulson had just arrived, taking off his coat at the front podium. A few other students looked back at Steve and the girl, whom gave them a death glare to make them turn back around. The girl paid no attention, and simply poured the Monster into her half-full coffee mug.

“I’m going to die,” the girl said before taking a long drink of the caffeine concoction. “Darcy Lewis.” She smiled after a few more sips, leaning back into her seat.

“Steve Rogers.” Steve smiled, situating himself into a more comfortable position as Professor Coulson began his lecture. At some point Steve closed his eyes and fell asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Mr. Rogers?”

Steve’s eyes snapped open, his pulse racing in a slight panic. He blinked a few times, focusing in on the face in front of him. It was Professor Coulson, whom looked mildly amused. Steve looked around him, the girl (Darcy Lewis) was gone. So was everyone else in the class. Steve sat up, wiping his face with his hand.

“Sorry, Professor.”

“No worries, in fact you were a main source of entertainment for today’s lecture.” Professor Coulson, or Phil, as Steve had come to know him as outside of class, linked his hands at his stomach, leaning back against the seat just to Steve’s right. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, just tired. Bucky was up late again last night so I slept in the living room,” Steve began to stretch, feeling his muscles protest from being in the lecture theater seats for much too long.

“Okay. I’ll send you the readings I assigned today, but you’ll have to get the notes from another student. That good?”

“Yeah, of course.” Steve stood up, gathering his bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

“Oh, and Steve?”

“Yeah?”

“Go take a nap.” Phil smiled, before heading out of the hall, clapping Steve on the shoulder lightly.

Steve got home around 11:30. He found Bucky on the couch, flesh arm covered in paint and a wet paintbrush still in his hand. The paint dripped onto the drop cloth that Steve made sure was always put down. Steve dropped his bag and he patted Bucky’s knee. “Buck,”

“Hmmwhat?” Bucky dropped the paintbrush on the floor, using both hands to rub his face. His hair had been tousled from playing with it too much with anxiety, and there were a few paint smudges on his face. His metal prosthetic was placed on the floor by the couch, a few drops of red paint on the fingertips. Bucky’s other arm - the amputated one - was hidden with a fleece throw blanket Steve tended to leave lying around.

“Did you eat at all since I left?”

“I know what you want me to say, but no. I didn’t.” Bucky sat up, grabbing for the arm on the floor. He clicked it into place, rotating his shoulder, the metal plates whirring and clicking as he calibrated his arm. Steve sighed, doing an about-face and making his way to the kitchen.

“How was class?” Bucky followed him in, leaning against the counter as he watched Steve pull out a carton of eggs from the fridge. “Phil let you answer all of the questions again?”

“Nah, I fell asleep,” Steve smiled, cracking a few eggs and whisking them until they became one big bowl of yellow goop. “Met a pretty girl though.”

“Oh, do tell, Rogers.” Bucky smiled, rinsing the coffee pot as he started to help Steve.

“Not much to tell, I only got her name before I dozed off.”

“Sorry about that,” Bucky’s face darkened, metal hand combing through his shoulder length locks. His hair was tangled and was in desperate need of a haircut but Bucky couldn’t bring himself to trust anyone but himself with sharp objects around him.

“Don’t worry about it, bud. Let’s just get some food in us before I pass out again.”


	2. Muffins and Caffeine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to Up All Night!  
> I've been kicking myself for leaving this one in my Google Drive unfinished for so long now, so this is my way of bringing it life. Piece by piece.  
> Enjoy!

Steve saw Darcy in class again on Wednesday morning. He picked a good seat in the middle of an aisle towards the back so that he could get a good view of Dr. Coulson, also hoping that he would be seen right away when the rest of the class would come in through the double doors. He was right. Darcy stopped slightly inside the doors and scanned the lecture hall, spotting him and damn near skipping her way over to him. She plopped her bag in the seat in front of her and occupied herself in the seat next to him.

“Sleepy Steve,” she smiled, adjusting in her seat so that she could balance her coffee mug on her knee. “So we meet again.”

“G’morning Miss Lewis,” Steve smiled, folding down the corner desk so he could place his notebook on it. 

“You gonna fall asleep on me again? I had some wicked commentary last time that you missed out on.” Darcy placed her phone on her own desk, tapping a few of the buttons before leaving it be. 

“And miss more commentary? I wouldn’t dare,” 

“I would, it is seven o’clock.” Darcy smiled, leaning back in her seat and taking a hearty seat of coffee.

“Had to stay up late last time, my friend needed the company,”

Darcy turned her head towards him, right eyebrow arched. She nodded slightly before taking another sip. “I can understand that,” she said quietly. “By the way, do you want a muffin?”

“What?” 

Darcy leaned forward, pulling a red Tupperware container out of her bag. Opening it revealed half a dozen blueberry muffins, beautifully glazed with a light coat of icing. “I made muffins late last night, and I would probably kill myself if I ate them all to myself in one sitting. Do you want one?”

Steve’s eyebrow arched upwards. He examined Darcy and her muffins, the ones sitting in the plastic container. The gesture was almost laughable, but he had a feeling that there was more to this girl than he had initially thought. He reached in and took the biggest one, which had a giant blueberry protruding out of the side. It was soft and almost spongy, a perfect consistency. 

“Thanks, Darcy.”

“No problem, now shush. Phil’s talking.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I didn’t know if you wanted coffee or an energy drink, so I brought you both.” Steve came up behind Darcy, a giant can of Monster in one hand and a Venti Starbucks cup in the other. She was making her way to the lecture hall when Steve in all of his bulky, hunky glory surprised her. She turned in a near-perfect about face and smiled.

“My hero,” she had made sure to spend extra time in the bathroom this morning, perfectly her lipstick until her lips looked ripe for kissing. It must have worked; Steve’s eyes zeroed in on her mouth. “I prefer coffee on Fridays, only because of the barista who works there.” 

“The British one?” Steve laughed, handing Darcy the coffee as he followed her into the hall. He cracked the can of Monster, taking a tentative sip. “I mean, he’s alright, but he even was friendly with me. So I don’t know what to tell you,” the drink tasted entirely of chemicals, only slightly made better by the carbonation. Steve figured that it was an acquired taste. 

“Damn! You know the good ones are always gay,” Darcy grinned, taking their usual seats in the theater as Coulson came in behind them. 

“I wouldn’t say that, Miss Lewis. Steve here’s been single since he came back from tour,” he said with a secret smile, before walking down to the podium. Steve did a double take, watching the man walk with a confident strut. His body language almost came across as smug. 

“Single, huh? No one wanted to snatch that bad boy up again?” Darcy took a sip of her coffee, getting comfortable in her seat. She gestured with her finger up and down to Steve’s figure. He felt a blush colour his cheeks. 

“Umm, well. My last girl couldn’t deal after Afghanistan so she left. Or I left. I can’t remember, I was kind of in a coma for a while.” Steve shrugged. He felt a sudden pang in his chest. He hadn’t thought about Peggy for a long time now, for good reason.

“Yikes. I’m sorry to hear that, Steve. I wouldn’t have taken off, even if you were a vegetable.”

Steve could’ve sworn that Darcy sat closer to him that day. She had leaned towards him ever so slightly, her body angled so that her back touched his arm as they listened to Coulson talk about America’s start in World War II. 

After class, Steve followed Darcy out. She had started to get a buzz off of the coffee now, and Steve finally felt awake after finishing the Monster drink.  
“So you know Phil?” he asked as she hopped down the steps one at a time. 

“Yeah, he’s dating my friend Mel so he’s around quite a bit. Phil’s a big softie, too. You?”

“Well, I’m not dating Mel,” Steve joked, before clearing his throat. “No actually, he was more of my academic adviser when I came here. We were introduced at orientation and he sort of took me under his wing when he found out that I had served.” 

“How long?” Darcy stopped on the last step, turning up to face him. Steve had still been a few steps up. He shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged. 

“Three years, then the coma for about a year.”

“Jesus,” Darcy whispered. Her expression changed from one of curiosity to sad. “So, was anyone there when you woke up? I mean, even with your ex leaving?” 

Steve nodded, taking the last few steps to stand beside her. “Yeah, my best friend Bucky. He had some pretty bad PTSD while I was out, and still struggles with it. But he was there almost all the time. It doesn’t seem that bad now, but I guess I’ve had a lot of time to deal with everything.” 

“Do you want to go for coffee?” Darcy blurted out, shocking Steve into the present. “I’m sorry, so sorry. This is nice, really. But I’d like to sit down with you and talk about everything, in a comfy little shop. Not in a hallway. But I’d like to go for coffee.” 

Steve smiled immediately, realizing that Darcy had started to trip over her words. She was nervous now. “Of course Darcy, I’d love to go for coffee with you.”

“So tomorrow?”


	3. Coffee and May's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy and Steve for coffee, as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good day (or night) readers!  
> Thanks for waiting so patiently for the next chapter in this adorable little thing I'm cooking up.  
> Midterms have just finished for me and I now have time to write again!  
> Last we left off Darcy and Steve had just agreed to a coffee date. WILL IT GO WELL??? OF COURSE IT WILL!!!!  
> Keep reading to see. ENJOOY!

Steve was soaking wet when he arrived at the coffee shop. It had been raining all morning and the humidity had been killer. Steve felt a thin layer of sweat on his skin as he ran to meet Darcy. The coffee shop she chose was a tiny, family-run business just a few blocks away from campus. It was the midway point from Steve and Bucky’s apartment to campus. He had walked past it a few times before but hadn’t given it much thought. The front of the building was mostly glass, with neat lettering atop the door which read " _May's House_ "

Darcy was sitting right by the right most corner in a comfortable leather chair. She waved at him through the window as he walked by, and he smiled. On the table in front of her were two giant ceramic mugs, one blue and one red. She pointed to them, and gestured to him. He nodded, and made his way inside. There weren’t many people inside, but there was a steady stream of music over the sound of a coffee maker. 

Darcy was waiting, her legs tucked to the side as she sat comfortably. “Hey soldier, over here.” She called out. 

“No one’s called me that in a long time,” Steve walked over, plopping himself down into the large couch across from Darcy. “Wow, that’s comfy.” 

“Right? This place has like all donated furniture from university students. Graduating students tend to get rid of everything once they move off campus, so this place utilizes all of it.” Darcy gestured to the blue mug on his side of the table. “I got you today’s special: Nutella s’mores coffee blend.” 

“Nutella **and** s’mores?” Steve’s eyes widened, leaning over to take a whiff of the chocolate scented steam that was rising from his cup.

“It’s amazing, no word of a lie,” Darcy smiled, taking up her own mug and holding it against her knee. “The owner, Melinda, won a local competition with that very recipe.”

Steve took a tentative sip, feeling the top layer of marshmallow-y foam coat his upper lip. The chocolate-hazelnut flavor filled him with warmth, reminding him of days from his childhood. “Wow.” He smacked his lips with a pop.

“See? I was right,”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Any family?” 

“Oh yeah, tons.” Darcy nodded, wiping a bit of foam from her upper lip. “I was kind of the product of a one-to-two night stand. They decided to stay amicable for my sake, and my dad agreed to pay all kinds of child support since he’s loaded. They get along well, and I get to see them both regularly. You?”

Steve shrugged before leaning his elbows on the table. “My mom’s gone, got sick a while back. Dad died some time before she did. My best friend Bucky, his family took me in when Ma died, and he’s been around ever since.”

Darcy frowned, her mug pausing just shy of her lips. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s fine, it’s been a while really. I’m good with it.”

Darcy smiled fondly, her carefully lined eyes boring into him as she took a slow sip from her mug. Steve resisted the urge to gulp, his eyes catching the red marks she left along the brim. Indecent thoughts of where he would like those red lips surfaced in his head.

“What’s he like?”

“Hmm?” Steve’s mind went blank as he was pulled out of his short fantasy.

“Your friend, Bucky. What’s he like?”

“Oh, Buck…” Steve laughed a bit under his breath, knowing fully well the things he should not say on a first date about his sometimes well mannered roommate. “He’s a good one. Definition of a starving artist, if it weren’t for me. I keep him fed but he’s kind of in his own head most of the time. Still has a hard time adjusting to civilian life again.”

“Sorry to hear. He’s the reason you fell asleep in class, right?”

“Yeah…” Steve rubbed his hand on his pants absently. “He had a bad night.”

“I’d like to meet him sometime. He must be somethin’ else to have a friend like you.”

Steve damn near blushed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was three hours later when Darcy had to leave. She had gotten an “urgent” text from Jane regarding one of her newest builds for a telescope. Darcy knew that was code for “I don’t have enough hands to do everything myself, please come help my poor, helpless ass” and ordered three large coffees to go. Steve decided to order two for himself and Bucky; he had a feeling that the idiot would need a caffeine boost in order to finish his paper on existentialism in modern art. Bucky was halfway through it but tended to take too many painting breaks. 

“Your friend stay up late too?” Darcy smiled as she tucked all three of her cups into a cardboard tray. 

“He’s more like the kind who rarely sleeps. I have to keep him level,” 

“Same, with Jane. But with science, she goes mad. When we first met, she had been on a three-day bender in the labs and had to be escorted out by security. She sort of collapsed on the bench beside me in the hallway and I picked her up, fed her, and took her home.” Darcy smiled, licking the side of the cup nearest to her, a bit of Nutella-flavored foam had escaped. “And that’s the story of how I met my best friend,” 

“I’ll have to hear more of it someday,” Steve grinned, accepting his two cups from Melinda before backing out of the front door. He lifted the cups in a salute to Darcy, trying not to let it be known what seeing her lick her cup did to him. “See you around, doll.” 


	4. Darcy's Humble Abode

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve goes to visit Darcy at her house for the first time, which also includes meeting her roommates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello readers!  
> So sorry it has been a bit since my last chapter. But with being sick, midterms and assignments I haven't had much time to write!  
> But not to worry. Here is your next dose of Darcy and Steve being cute!  
> ENJOY <3

Darcy and Steve spent a lot more time together after the Nutella coffee date. They sat together in Coulson’s class for every lecture and when it came to study time, they met in the political science student lounges to discuss their readings. Darcy had recorded every lecture on her phone and spent time after class listening back to them in order to make proper notes. Steve could barely read her handwriting, but he struggled through them in case he had missed any key points in his own set of notes. 

Darcy seemed to be fueled by caffeine and baked sweets. Each time they met up to study, she had a giant can of Monster or large coffee, accompanied by a Tupperware container holding muffins or cupcakes. She always had some for Steve and he wolfed down her baking each time.

When Steve was due to visit her apartment for the first time, he was nervous. He wasn’t sure what to expect at this point with Darcy. They had become close over the last few weeks and he could start to feel himself flutter with excitement whenever they were about to meet up. He had spent a good part of the morning pacing around his room, watching time pass by until he could be acceptably early. Bucky had surfaced from his room in order to grab a couple of toaster waffles before heading back to sleep, and smirked at Steve from the kitchen. 

“So when do I get to meet this girl, punk?”

“Once you’ve established a proper sleeping pattern,” Steve called out from his room, having changed his t-shirt for the third time this morning. He heard the toaster pop, and within a minute Bucky was standing in the threshold of his bedroom, steaming toaster waffles held in his flesh hand. 

“What is proper for a college student?” Bucky took a bite of a waffle, humming appreciatively at what could possibly be his first meal of the day. “Besides, from what you’ve told me, she’s a night owl herself.” Bucky stood in the doorway with only his flesh arm, having removed his prosthetic to sleep. 

“At least enough for you to be awake for more than four hours at a time. And to eat a proper meal,” Steve smirked.

“I eat,” Bucky said through a mouthful of toaster waffle. 

“Like your ma used to feed you?”

“Point taken.”

Bucky skulked back to his room to sleep, while Steve finally decided on a casual enough outfit. He wore dark wash jeans and a white t-shirt, one that had random paint splatters around the shoulders and chest area. It was his go to shirt for when Steve was helping Bucky with a project. By this point it was almost noon, which meant that Steve could leave soon. The walk over would help to calm his nerves. 

It was a hot day already, the sun beaming down on Steve’s back as he walked. The weather called for a high of 90 degrees today, and it definitely felt like they were closing in on that high. The white shirt Steve picked out for today helped to reflect off some of the heat, making him feel even better about not wearing black. It wasn’t really his colour anyways.

Darcy lived just off campus, next to one of the giant apartment buildings that was notorious for cramming five or six students into one living space. The house was a cute two-story stucco home with a yard that was due for a mowing. Steve opened the hip-high gate and walked up the path slowly, surveying his surroundings. The house looked like it had been painted recently, the coat of grey too shiny and smooth to look weathered.

It took a moment for Steve to muster his strength to go on as he stood at the bottom of the front steps. He could hear someone puttering around inside the house somewhere. The possibility that it was Darcy made Steve smile, sending a flutter through his chest. He made his way to the front door, bounding up the steps in two jumps. He knocked on the deep red door lightly. After a few breaths, a man with an upturned welding mask and apron opened the door, his five o’clock shadow flecked with what looked like oil.

“Ah, yes. Ye must be Steve,” the man said in a lilting Scottish accent. “Darcy’s in the kitchen. I’m Fitz, one of the roommates.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Steve followed Fitz into the house at his urging, the Scotsman leading him into the kitchen.

“Jemma, please don’t use my glass measuring bowls for petri dishes again!” Darcy’s voice called out as she came into view, piping bag of blue icing in hand. “Last time I had to clean them at least five times - with bleach!” 

“But you’ve got so many!” another voice, a distinctly British voice, rang out from a room close by. Darcy smiled as she spotted Steve, motioning him in. “Besides, Jane has taken all of my own dishes again! I’d talk to her about it but you know how I feel about that.”

Darcy nodded in acknowledgement, knowing that the other person couldn’t see her. “Hey, you’re early.” Darcy said quietly as Steve joined her at the counter where she was set up. She looked back towards Fitz, who was rummaging in his apron pockets for who knows what. Fitz met her gaze and groaned slightly.

“Yeah yeah, I’ll go see to her.” And then he left the kitchen the same way they came in. 

“Sorry about that,” Darcy smiled, taking her piping bag down to the counter full of cupcakes that Steve assumed were freshly made. “Roommates can be a handful, even when they’re not scientists.” 

“It’s alright, you know I’ve got an artist for mine,” Steve grinned, taking a swipe at one of the newly frosted treats with his finger. The icing was light and fluffy on his fingertip. “How many people do you live with?”

“There are six of us. You’ve met Fitz, and then there’s his girlfriend Jemma. Clint and Natasha are probably upstairs, and Jane is down in the basement, probably trying to burn the house down again.” 

Steve stuck his sugar coated finger into his mouth, the icing deliciously sweet on his tongue. He almost moaned at how sweet. He grunted inquisitively, but Darcy waved him off. “A story for another day,” she smiled, finishing up the frosting on the last cupcake. 

“Come, I’ve got a few movies picked out for us, and I made some pretty wicked sandwiches that you’ll love.” Darcy clapped her hands, taking a couple of cupcakes onto a plate, including the one that Steve had already taken frosting from.

“Great, I’m starving.” 

“When are you not?” Darcy laughed, leading him out of the kitchen and down a hallway. She opened a door halfway down and disappeared behind it. Steve followed suit, finding stairs down to the basement. 

“Taking me down to your dungeon, doll?” Steve joked.

“If this were a dungeon, it wouldn’t be so nicely decked out... Or maybe it would be. This way,” Darcy turned on a light at the bottom of the stairs, revealing a living room area that was furnished tastefully with leather couches and an impressive entertainment center. She lead them past it, down a hallway to a room that was almost as big as Steve and Bucky’s own apartment entirely. He whistled. 

“Sorry. My dad insisted on having a big house for me during school. He paid for it all and makes sure to keep it renovated, but I insisted on having people to fill it.” Darcy set down her cupcake filled platter down on the end table by a two-seater loveseat. 

“Yeah, you said your dad was loaded,” Steve looked around in awe, making his way to a bookshelf that was overflowing with books and textbooks alike.

“You have no idea,” Darcy grumbled under her breath.

Darcy pulled out a couple of saran-wrapped sandwiches from a mini fridge she kept hidden in her entertainment center, tossing one over to Steve. He caught it with one hand and he felt a rush of warmth when she also brought out a couple of beers. 

“You’re too much doll, it’s only lunch time.” 

“Well, you didn’t drive here and I’m guessing with that body you’ve got a fast metabolism,” Darcy said with a wink. One or two won’t hurt since you’ll just be cooped up in here with me for the afternoon.” 

“I wouldn’t call it cooped up when there’s food and a pretty girl beside me.”

Darcy blushed brightly, her hands making quick work of opening their beers on the tabletop. 

“Well, with that attitude I might just have to keep you here for longer.”

“Wouldn’t be a problem, Darce.” 

Darcy smiled and sat down next to Steve, bringing up Netflix on her tv. She scooched closer until her arm was touching his, making Steve shiver with glee. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After the second installment of the Terminator movies Steve allowed himself to extract himself from the couch and from the closeness of Darcy. Somewhere during the first movie he had shifted his arm so it sat comfortably around her shoulders, allowing her to scooch in closer to him until she was curled into his side. The feel of her pressed against him, even in the most comfortable way, made his heart race for a solid five minutes. He found himself concentrating intently on Arnold’s killing spree so that there was no other embarrassing side effects.

“Good job, soldier. I haven’t seen anyone sit through Arnold that long since Fitz was drunk and trying to figure out exactly how he would build a Terminator for himself.” Darcy smiled, standing up and stretching her arms over her head. The groans that escaped her lips during her stretches made Steve need to turn around so he could ground himself. 

“Well I was enjoying myself,” Steve smiled, turning around again to see Darcy standing directly in front of him. 

“I could tell,” the girl grinned cheekily, stepping forward until she was almost flush against his chest, staring up at him. Steve held his breath.

“Darcy, I-” 

“Stop thinking so much, soldier,” Darcy spoke softly.

“Captain.”

“Sorry?”

“I was a Captain in the military,” Steve smiled a bit at Darcy’s confused expression. He leaned down a few inches to meet her, his hands taking both of hers lightly just seconds before his lips met hers. 

Darcy’s lips were warm and soft, softer than any he had kissed before. Not that there had been many lips he had kissed, but Darcy’s definitely stood out. He felt her smile against his mouth, before she leaned up and pressed in further for more. Steve interlocked his fingers with his, his heart hammering away in his chest. 

Darcy pulled away first, her lips pouting slightly as Steve opened his eyes. “Bout time you did that, Captain Rogers.”

“I couldn’t wait any longer.” Steve chuckled. 

“Good, ‘cause I was close to jumping you the entire last half hour of Terminator 2.”

“Kinda sad you didn’t, doll.”

“DARCY!” A petite brunette woman burst in through the door, swinging it open and making Steve nearly jump. “DARCY I NEED YOU - oh hi, you must be Steve. Heard a lot about you.” The brunette, whom Steve presumed was Jane, was clad in a over-sized plaid shirt and jeans under her off-white lab coat. Her hair was tied back messily and was held together by what looked like a couple of pens.

“Janey! Any chance you could learn how to knock someday?” Darcy let go of one of Steve’s hands, using her newly freed hand to rest on her chest dramatically. “You nearly scared poor Steve to death! Which is a shame really, because we just made out and I was hoping to get in at least one more go of that,”

Steve blushed.

“Sorry, but I really need you. One of my stations blew and I need your help cleaning it up enough so your dad doesn’t notice the next time he brings a care package.” Just as Jane took a breath, the smoke alarm starting screeching for attention. Jane bolted out of the room. 

Darcy groaned, turning to Steve with a strained expression. “Sorry, be right back. Just another day with Jane.”

“I’ll come with you,” Steve shrugged, following Darcy out into the hallway. Someone came barreling down the stairs, causing Steve to pull her back against him. It was Fitz, armed with a fire extinguisher. 

“Not again, not again, not again!” Fitz muttered to himself as he stationed himself in front of Jane’s door at the far end of the hallway. He lifted the nozzle on the extinguisher and fired. After the air coming from Jane’s end of the basement was filled more with dry carbon dioxide, Fitz coughed and made his way back over to the stairs. The extinguisher was propped up on his shoulder like a protagonist on a video game cover would hold their gun. 

“Well, just another day in Stark House.”


	5. A Stark Discovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello readers!  
>  sorry that it has been way too long. Things got crazy with school; finals, winter break, holidays and finally getting back to school  
>  I've been kicking myself in the butt lately to try and get out another chapter. this one was tough to figure out, since I wasn't sure what I wanted to write about.  
>  take it as you will and please enjoy!
> 
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“Stark House?” Steve looked up the stairs to where Fitz had disappeared with the fire extinguisher. “Your dad is Tony Stark?” He looked back to Darcy incredulously, suddenly the giant, newly renovated house made sense.

“Well, yeah.. I mean, it’s not a big deal. He’s my dad,” Darcy shrugged, walking down the hallway to Jane’s room once the smoke and cloud of CO2 had cleared out enough.

“But he’s probably one of the richest technology moguls in the world, and he’s super famous.” Steve shook his head, trying to make sense of it all.

“In America, yes. In the world? He’s probably in the top 10,” Darcy helped a coughing Jane to her feet, dusting off the shoulders of her lab coat. “Janey, we talked about this. No flammable or combustible materials in the basement. That’s what the back yard is for. Dad’ll kill me if we burn down the house again.”

“Again?!?” Steve gaped.

“It was first year,” Darcy waved him off like it explained the whole story.

“But hold on -- you’re Darcy Stark, you must be able to afford it.”

“Darcy Lewis,” Darcy stressed her last name. “Mom insisted I keep her name, if Dad was insisting that he pay for my child support, schooling, and basically anything under the sun that he wanted to.” Darcy turned back to Steve, shrugging. “I mean, I’m still me. I’ve worked hard my entire life so that people wouldn’t think that I’m some entitled, rich brat.” she rubbed Steve’s arm gently, making Steve’s muscles loosen the slightest bit.

“Is that smoke I smell?” yelled an unfamiliar voice from the top of the stairs. Steve turned to look at the source, a slim redhead standing in the doorway. “You know your dad’s assistant is coming by tomorrow to take inventory, right?”

“Yes, I’m fully aware,” Darcy groaned, trudging up the carpeted steps. The redhead stepped out of her way when Steve followed her out of the basement, casting a long look at him.

“Steve,” he said quietly in response to her searching look. “Political Science major.”

“Natasha. Dance.”

“Pleasure,” Steve muttered before following Darcy to the kitchen. “So being Tony Stark’s daughter, what other perks does that get you?” He leaned against the counter as Darcy pulled out three different cans of Febreeze spray.

“Mostly just getting tuition paid for, free housing, money for groceries… Also I get to inherit the company when he dies,” Darcy smiled, taking one of the cans and passing it to Steve. He read the label, finding the words “Hawaiian Breeze” bolded against the orange backdrop. “I’m guessing a job at head office when I graduate, but who knows if I actually wanna work with him.”

“Why wouldn’t you?”

“Nepotism, really… Plus I want to save the world, not build a bunch of machines.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“How’d it go, punk?” Bucky was sitting on the kitchen counter when Steve walked through the door. He let it click shut before tearing off his sweat-ridden shirt, tossing it down the hallway in the general direction of his bedroom. The sun had shone down on him the entire way back, with the weather widget on his phone confirming the high of 97 degrees.

“Christ,” Steve almost flinched, Bucky’s presence bringing him out of his stupor. He swore that the guy got off on sneaking up on him nowadays. “Uhh, good, I guess?”

Steve’s phone pinged as he sat heavily on the couch. A new canvas had been set up in the living room. It was devoid of Bucky’s usual landscape, now the center of the painting occupied by a slim figure clad in black, arms poised above her head -- he only could assume the figure was female, the stance was very feminine. Steve made a note to ask Bucky about it as he pulled out his phone.

_Sorry about… well, everyone. I make it a habit not to bring home extremely hot guys for everyone to ogle at ;)_

Steve grinned before typing out a quick reply.

_They’re alright, I didn’t notice them much though. I was busy ogling a pretty girl the entire time ;)_

Bucky took his place beside Steve on the couch, his metal arm attached with the fingers dipped with paint. “Aren’t you gonna ask?”

“About what?” Steve asked absent-mindedly as Darcy’s reply came through.

_I had a feeling you weren’t paying much attention LOL_

Another ping. _I know what you mean though. Minus the pretty girl, I was ogling someone good the entire time too ;)_

“The painting. It’s a ballerina.”

Steve looked up at the canvas again. It was indeed. When he looked at it long enough, he saw the pointed toes, the strict lines of the ballerina’s body, stiff with perfection. The ballerina was facing away from the viewer, her bright red hair piled high into a bun. Red?

“Is that --”

“Her name’s Natasha,” Bucky answered quickly, his face flushing a bit. “She’s Russian. A Russian ballerina, the very definition of perfection in dance. She dances a lot in the Arts building.”

Steve’s mind clicked. Natasha. Dance. Darcy’s roommate.

“Roommate?” Bucky asked excitedly. Steve realized that he had talked out loud over the screen of his phone. “I thought you said she lived with her friend Jane.”

“She does,” Steve shook his head to realize that he had typed out a bunch of nonsense in response to Darcy and was hovering his thumb over the send button. He held the delete button until the text box was empty again. “But they live with like four other people too. They’ve got a big house owned by her rich dad.”

“Never pegged her for a rich kid,” Bucky hummed, his metal fingers thrumming against his chest. It was something he did when he was thinking, going down a strange rabbit hole. “Who’s the rich guy?”

_Your roommate Natasha, the dancer. What’s her story?_

_You planning on leaving me already, Rogers?_

_No chance in hell ;) I think my roommate knows her somehow_

_Not sure, her and Clint are close but even we don’t know. And they won’t say._

“Tony Stark,” Steve said absently as he tapped the top of his phone against his lip lightly.

“NO SHIT, STEVE.” Bucky got up suddenly, punching him in the arm suddenly.

“Ah!” Steve dropped his phone to the cushion beside him. “What the hell, Buck?”

“Tony Stark designed this thing here, he made the patent for it and built it himself,” Bucky’s eyes were wild, his flesh arm gesturing to his metal prosthetic. He took the shoulder in hand and twisted slightly, wincing as it made a ‘pop’ sound, before detaching from his body. He took it and lifted one of the metal plates in the underarm. Just under two green blinking lights, was the unmistakable Stark Industries logo. Beside it was a small engraving, TS.


	6. The Dancer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey readers!  
> sorry I've been so inactive lately, this summer has been BUSYYYY. Got married, deaths in the family, back in school YADA YADA.  
> here's a short and sweet chapter from Bucky's point of view -- FINALLY, RIGHT?????  
> I'll keep plugging away at this but honestly i'm not sure how much source material I can keep pulling out of my super busy butt!  
> if anyone wants to help collaborate and keep this going once my chapters after this (all 2 of them) are done, shoot me a message!  
> once again, ENJOY!! <3

Bucky stopped himself when he noticed that the door to the bigger dance studio was open. The Arts building had three studios in total: two smaller rooms in the basement, and one bigger on the main floor. The bigger room was also the only studio that Natasha used for practice. 

Natasha.

Speak of the devil, there she was. Bucky saw her bright red hair, twisted high into a perfect bun near the top of her head as she twirled into his line of sight. A red sweater was tied around her waist, one just as bright as her hair. The colours contrasted beautifully against her black leotard and leggings. The sweater spun around her as she twirled, her form perfectly straight. Her toes were pointed, on which she had balanced herself perfectly.

Bucky’s breath caught as he shifted his weight, the floor creaking under him. Natasha turned quick, quicker than even he anticipated. He tried to duck out of her sight, but in his quickness his bag dropped to the ground with a thud and a shattering sound. Bucky groaned, realizing that the sound was his newest piece of pottery. 

“You know, I didn’t realize how much you came around here until I had Clint run surveillance,” 

“S-surveillance?” Bucky had knelt down to pick up his bag, hearing the broken clay pieces bump against each other in the movement. Bucky sighed. 

“He likes to people-watch,” Natasha smiled, the expression sweet. Bucky’s chest tightened. “He’s deaf, so it helps him relax,”

“Oh, I uh, had no idea.” Bucky turned to glance behind him in the main lobby. There was one man sitting at the end of the room, blonde hair poking out from under a black beanie. He was looking their way. 

“Not many people do, he functions really well.”

Bucky turned back to Natasha, who was toying with the sweater tied around her waist, picking at a thread that had come loose. He could feel his skin tingling with her so near. He had never seen her so up close before, much less having talked to her.

“I painted you,” Bucky blurted out, his heart hammering in his chest.

“Me?” Natasha smiled shyly. He didn’t think such an expression could exist on her face. It was exquisite. He would have to sketch it out someday. He committed the image to memory.

“Yeah, you…” Bucky felt out of breath suddenly. He tried not to hyperventilate. “I’d like to show it to you sometime. Only if you’re comfortable with it, or,”

“I’d like that,” Natasha nodded behind him. “Do you mind if Clint comes? I’m trying to get him out of the house more.” 

“Of course,” Bucky grinned, only slightly disappointed. “The more the merrier.”

“See you then,” Natasha smiled, lips parting to reveal perfect white teeth. Bucky’s heart hammered as he stuttered out a reply and turned. Clint nodded as he walked past. Bucky was sure that his face was beet red. 

Then he realized. He had invited his dream girl over to his place, along with her best friend. 

Bucky hitched up his backpack and started his way home in a sprint.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bucky was cleaning when Steve came home from class that afternoon. His hair was tied back in a knot at the base of his neck, big pink rubber gloves on, and a determined scowl was plastered on his face. The countertops in the kitchen were practically sparkling, and the sink was devoid of dirty dishes. Their apartment was usually clean; old military habits stuck with both of them. But today, Bucky seemed like a man possessed with how vigorously he was scrubbing.

“Are we getting evicted?” Steve flung his bag onto the couch, which looked like it had been spot cleaned to remove a few years’ worth of paint and pizza stains. Now Steve was concerned. Were they moving out? Did Bucky attack the super and now they were getting kicked out?

“Hmm?” Bucky’s head popped up from under the counter, the hair at his temples damp with sweat.

“Are we getting evicted, Buck?” Steve spoke clearer, even though he was sure this time that his friend was listening.

“Oh, no!” Bucky ducked down again, his metal arm whirring as he scrubbed away grease stains from the cupboard doors. “Natasha’s coming over tomorrow!”

Steve’s jaw actually dropped. The son of a bitch actually did it.

“So you talked to her?”

Bucky looked up again. “Not on purpose, but yeah. I got caught staring this time.”

Steve laughed, trying to image the deer-in-the-headlights expression Bucky would have when he realized he was caught staring. Bucky had been staring at Natasha for a year now, since an experimental flash mob she had performed in took over the quad. 

“Well… Good luck to ya, Buck. I’m headed over to Darcy’s in a bit anyways. I'm planning on staying the night.”

“I’ll text you the code word if I need help,”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hope you don’t mind, but we brought Sushi,” Natasha smiled sweetly when Bucky opened the door. She handed him two grocery bags full of styrofoam containers. Clint was holding a pack of beers in each hand. Bucky took the bags and placed them on the kitchen counter. 

“Never really had sushi before.”

“You’re kidding!” Clint exclaimed. He had just placed the beers in the fridge and had turned on Bucky so quickly Bucky swore he could have gotten whiplash. 

Bucky was almost nose to nose with the blond man, which he could say did not do much for his imagination. Clint was a very attractive guy. 

“No…?” Bucky peeked inside the bags as Natasha began pulling out the containers one by one. “I mean, I’ve never had the chance. My regular is usually whatever is quick and easy to make.”

“You’re in for a treat, my friend.” Clint clapped Bucky on the back roughly. Bucky would have winced. “Nat knows the best sushi places in town here, and most of them have student rates!”

“Not really,” Natasha dished out a few california rolls out for each of them on paper plates. “I’m just good at haggling the owners down.”

“Then why do I get discounts still when you’re not around?”

“I gave them your picture.” 

Clint’s mouth hung open for a few seconds before nodding curtly. Bucky held back a smile. 

“You two, you uhh?” Bucky gestured between Clint and Natasha. He suddenly got the feeling that he was intruding on whatever couple-dynamic they had.

“Sometimes,” Natasha handed Bucky a plate. “We’re best friends, but when the time calls for it… Well. We share everything,”

Bucky blinked, a california roll paused halfway to his mouth. “Oh.”

“Sorry to spring that on you… I just, want you to have all the details.”

“No! No… It’s actually just a shock,” Bucky shoved the roll in his mouth to give himself time to think. It had been a while he was with a guy, and this Clint dude seemed pretty hot. He chewed until enough of the sticky rice could be pushed into one cheek. “I’m not opposed when it comes down to it,” he gulped down the rest of the food. “I’m a little out of practice.”

“Don’t worry,” Natasha smiled, placing a hand on his lightly. Her skin was just as smooth as he had painted. “We’ll help you with that.”


	7. Gym Nights and Hospital Visits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey readers! sorry this next/last chapter took so long.  
> Classes, depression, and life took hold of me again. I've been working on a few other works in other universes so this has kind of been on the back burner for a while.  
> I know I was supposed to have 2 chapters but I could only get one out before my writer's block hit again. So please enjoy this lovely little conclusion to this fic ! <3

_Hey, wanna join me and Janey-poo at the gym ?_

_You go to the gym??_

_Only when Jane goes, I have to make sure she doesn’t die_

_That doesn’t sound good…_

_Well, she only goes cause of the Norwegian dude who’s constantly there. She goes to drool_

_So you’re her wingwoman?_

_Yeah but I’ve decided that we’re gonna pull out the big guns tonight. Bring Bucky !_

Steve met Jane and Darcy at the campus gym, Bucky in tow. Bucky wore a black Under Armour shirt with matching black gloves in order to hide his prosthetic. Steve was less conspicuous with his sweatpants and white tank top. Darcy skimmed her eyes over him appreciatively when he wasn’t looking.

“So, who’s the beefcake Darcy wants us to chat up?” Bucky said as they walked from the change rooms. Jane had gone beet red at the comment, and muttered to Darcy that she would kill her later. 

“His name is Thor, and he’s basically a Viking. You’ll know him when you hear him, he does this huge war cry type thing when he finishes a set.” Darcy stretched her arms as they walked. Steve watched her out of the corner of his eye, his eyes lingering on her chest area. Darcy had chosen her most supportive sports bra, one that had a lot of lift and padding in it. “He’s a HUGE exchange student. I’m not even kidding on the huge, he could probably smash boulders.” 

When they signed into the cardio and weights part of the gym, Steve saw that Darcy wasn’t kidding. At the end of the large room was a big, blonde hulk of a man (as Darcy liked to describe him). The exchange student was well over six feet, rivaling Steve and Bucky even. He was doing shoulder shrugs with around 300 pounds worth of iron, his face screwed up with concentration. Steve felt mildly intimidated as Darcy and Jane made their way over to the squat racks. 

Steve led Bucky to the bench press, gesturing for him to lay back first. “You first, Buck. Gotta work that arm.”

“Shut it, punk,” Bucky grumbled, laying back on the bench while Steve loaded up the bar with weights. He started with 250 pounds, feeling generous today. The point was to grab the attention of the Viking and buddy up to him, before introducing him to Jane. Steve stood by Bucky’s head, watching for him, only slightly worried that he would need help. Bucky hadn’t done much lately but paint, eat and sleep between classes before he started going out with Natasha and Clint. Even then, gym time for just the two of them was pretty much nonexistent. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Oi! Newbies,” A deep, gravelly voice called Steve out of his daydreaming. He hadn’t even noticed that he was holding the bar only a few inches above his chest. He lost focus and Bucky helped him lift the weight back into its place.

“You never lift before?” The Viking had strode over towards them, tightening his gloves. He smiled, big and brightly. He didn’t think it was possible with how much muscle mass this guy had. His beard was thick and blond, definitely one that gave him a Viking look. His equally thick, blond hair was tied back in what Darcy loved to call a “man-bun,” and Steve could almost see the appeal. 

“Nah, Stevie just got distracted,” Bucky laughed, leaning against the bar as Steve sat up. He gestured over to the treadmills where Darcy and Jane were now running. Darcy was waving her arms around her in a sporadic motion, one that was making Jane laugh hysterically and need to turn down the speed so she could breathe and laugh and run all at once.

The Viking nodded, following Steve’s gaze. “You came in with those two?”

“Yeah, the funny one is my girl. The one laughing is her best friend.” 

“I see them in here sometimes. The one laughing, she’s very pretty.” Steve noticed the Viking’s slight accent, one that told him that he needed to think before speaking in English. 

“Yeah, that’s Jane. Big science nerd.” Bucky chimed in, taking a twenty pound weight off of the racks and began doing bicep curls with his left hand.

“Jane? Lovely…” 

“To be honest, we’ve been dragged here to play matchmaker of sorts.” Steve shrugged, spraying down the bench they were just at. The gym had a spray bottle at almost every station for disinfecting once you were done. 

“Is that right?” Thor’s eyebrows rose in surprise, his lips pursing into a sort of “hmm” motion. “Well, let’s give them some more time until I go over to make introductions. Also, I’m Thor.” 

“Steve, this show off here is Bucky.” Steve shook Thor’s hand firmly.

Jane and Darcy had decided to be done with the treadmills, and had headed over to another one of the weight racks. Darcy took a couple of dumbbells and began to do lunges, the weights held over her head. Jane followed suit, instead grabbing one of a heavier weight and holding it to her chest as she lunged. 

Thor chuckled, watching the two of them as he grabbed his water bottle from his own station and took a sip. “They’re not too graceful, are they?” 

“Not too much. You should see them around lab equipment though,” Bucky put the weight back on the rack. 

Thor stood at an angle in order to watch Jane do her exercises for the next few minutes, making light conversation and jokes with Steve and Bucky. Steve and Bucky decided to start on some deadlifts while Thor supervised. Thor looked over again and saw Jane stumble slightly as she tried a backwards lunge, her ankle buckling a bit under her. He walked over to her, fixing his bun slightly before speaking. 

“Try tightening your ab muscles while you go back, instead of holding your breath. It should help with the balance.” He said, patting his abdominals. Jane instantly tried to stand normally again, her face going from concentration to confusion to shock all in the span of one second. She stumbled, her hands losing the grip she had on the dumbbell and dropping it – on Thor’s foot. 

“Oh no! I’m so sorry! Oh god, oh no. Your foot, the weight, your foot!” Jane sputtered as Thor groaned. He tensed as Jane removed the fifteen pound weight from his foot quickly, rolling it away. “Are you okay? I mean probably not but are you? I didn’t mean to – oh god.”

“Jane! Oh no, you killed the Viking! Steve, what do we do?” Darcy came over, frantic as Thor sat down on the floor to cradle his foot. 

“Not a problem, miss,” Thor laughed, prying his shoe off gingerly. “I did startle her, she simply reacted naturally.” One of the attendants sitting at the desk was on the phone, first aid kit tucked under his arm. 

“Looks like someone’s calling for an ambulance,” Darcy said as the attendant, a tall young man wearing a Culver University t-shirt with the sleeves cut off jogged over to their group. 

“You alright, Thor? I saw what happened,” He knelt down by Thor, opening the white plastic first aid box. Thor had pulled off his sock to reveal a reddening big toe. The colouring under his toenail was turning purple quickly. “Yikes, that might be broken.”

“That’s great. I’ve broken your toe, I’ve broken you. Nononononothiscan’tbehappening!” Jane was freaking out, sitting herself on a bench facing Thor, her hands running through the ends of her hair. 

“It’s okay, really. Not a problem,” Thor smiled brightly at Jane, who was wringing her hands together now. “Not the first injury I’ve acquired in the gym.”

“Have you had anyone drop a weight on you before?” 

“My brother did it once, on purpose though. Nothing broken then, just some bruising then.” 

“I’m so sorry, ohmygod, so so so so sooooo sorry,” 

“Hey,” Thor smiled as two paramedics came to help him stand up properly. A third one came up behind him with a wheelchair. “It’s fine.”

“But I’ve broken your toe,” Jane whined, her voice low as she tried to hide how red her face became when he smiled at her. 

“We don’t know that for sure, ma’am,” One of the paramedics said to her as the other two wheeled Thor out of the weight area. “We’re taking him to the hospital on campus here, so he should be able to get an x ray sooner.” She smiled at Jane reassuringly. “Plus I think he would like the company.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Steve and Darcy sat with Jane in the waiting room, who was still freaking out and wringing her hands together. Bucky had gone off to find the cafeteria. Steve sighed inwardly in relief when Bucky mentioned food. Bucky usually didn’t remember to feed himself when he was out of the apartment. It must have been a side effect of Natasha and Clint. Every time he came back from Stark House, he was fed and happy. Sometimes he even went out to town with Natasha and came back with food.

“You should go in there and sit with him,” Darcy said quietly to Jane, rubbing her back gently. 

“No. I broke him. He’s in there because of me. He needs an x ray because of me, so why would I go in there when he probably hates me? I broke him.”

“Jane, no. He did ask you to come with him when they called him in. You heard him. Why would he hate you if he asked you to come with you?”

“Because he hates me and probably wants to ream me out for breaking his toe.”

“Jane,” Steve said exasperatingly, stretching his legs out in front of him to keep them from getting stiff. “He said he’s seen you in the gym before, and said that you’re pretty. So he’s not going to hate you.”

“What?” Jane poked her head up to look at Steve.

“I think he likes you, honestly.”

Jane’s eyes widened, then she put her head in her hands again. 

“Take him some food,” Bucky came around the corner into the ER waiting room, a tray of food in his hands. “After all this, he didn’t even get to carb up after his workout. He’s bound to be hungry.” He took a sandwich in hand and tossed it to Steve, who caught it easily in his left hand. Darcy smiled, knowing that some of his military reflexes were still there under the surface. 

“How’s that going to help?” Jane asked as Bucky handed her a hot dog for herself to eat, with a cup of hot soup for Darcy. 

“Trust me,” Bucky gestured for Jane to eat. She folded back the foil and found the hot dog smothered in mustard and relish, just how she liked. “A big guy like him eats often, and a lot. Especially after a workout. He has been sitting in there for what, half hour now? He’s gonna be ravenous soon. You take him food, coffee, and your pretty self and he will be right as rain.” 

“But-” Jane said around a mouthful of hot dog. Bucky put up his hands.

“You feel like you broke him? Take him food and drink, and some company. That’ll help you feel better, as well as him. Think of it like you’re fixing him. Like a way to make up for hurting him.”

Jane looked over to Darcy and Steve with a cry for help in her eyes. Darcy plucked a boxed orange juice from the tray and stabbed the straw into the top, avoiding her friend’s stare. Steve merely shrugged, mouth full of sandwich. 

“You two are no help,” Jane said under her breath, taking the tray and the remainder of its contents. It was still stacked with sandwiches and fruit, and two steaming cups of coffee.

“If you think of it, we’re plenty of help Janey-poo!” 

“Stop calling me that in public!” Jane called over her shoulder as she walked to the room where the nurses had taken Thor. Darcy grinned. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two weeks after the Gym Night Fiasco, as Darcy liked to call it, Jane and Thor proved to be inseparable. Darcy made sure never to venture over to Jane’s room at the other end of the hallway in case she was interrupting some very sexy sex time. Thank the gods that her dad had soundproofed the house, inside and out. Darcy wasn’t sure what she would do if she could hear her best friend and her beefcake boyfriend going at it all the time… Jane was probably thinking the same thing about her and Steve. 

It seemed that Steve and Darcy were the ultimate matchmakers. With Thor and Jane together, and Bucky added to the Natasha-Clint “thing”, the three of them became a perfect neapolitan. Once again, Darcy had come up with that nickname for the trio. Bucky had blushed so hard he had to turn away. 

Steve didn’t think he would ever see his best friend so happy. He was doing so well, having two people who complimented him so well and took care of him in his lowest moments. Then again, Steve felt the same way with Darcy. He hadn’t imagined he could be this happy, wrapped around the petite brunette. He could listen to her ramble for hours, whether it was about class, SCIENCE! with Jane, or about the newest and most ridiculous movie or television show based around robotics. Darcy assured Steve that her dad could make way better robots than science fiction had come up with. Steve didn’t doubt it. 

“Hey,” Steve buried his face into Darcy’s hair at the back of her neck. She smelled sweet, like vanilla. The scent was almost ingrained into her skin from the amount of time she spent in the kitchen. A quad of fresh cupcakes sat on her end table, confirming his thought.

“Hmm?” Darcy’s eyes were still on the tv, watching Robin Williams laid out on a slab, his mechanical insides on display. 

“I think I’m in love with you, Darcy Stark.” 

That got her attention. Darcy clicked the pause button on the remote and turned to face Steve, her cheeks going a pretty shade of pink. 

“Well, I think I’m in love with you too, Captain Rogers.”

Steve grinned, placing a soft kiss upon his girlfriend’s lips. Darcy leaned into him, her hands already wandering over his chest. His heart stuttered under her touch, her slim fingers leaving a trail of fire wherever they went. He swore he could die right here, and it would be a good way to go.

A very good way to go.


End file.
